Here We Go Again: Obama Sends U.S. Troops to Central Africa to Aid Campaign Against Rebel Group

WASHINGTON -- President Obama is sending about 100 U.S. troops to central Africa to help local forces battle the Lord's Resistance Army, a rebel group that the administration says has waged a campaign of murder, rape and kidnapping for more than two decades.

Obama said Friday the troops will act as advisers in efforts to hunt down rebel leader Joseph Kony but will not engage in combat except in self-defense, according to a letter to Congress that was obtained by Fox News.

The White House says the first troops arrived in Uganda on Wednesday. Ultimately, they will also deploy in South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Congo.

A senior administration official downplayed the notion that the armed troops could be drawn into a hostile, combat situation, saying the move was sparked by Congress passing a law year urging the administration to do something to crack down on the Lord's Resistance Army.

Long considered one of Africa's most brutal rebel groups, the Lord's Resistance Army began its attacks in Uganda more than 20 years ago but has been pushing westward.

The administration and human rights groups say its atrocities have left thousands dead and have put as many as 300,000 Africans to flight. They have charged the group with seizing children to bolster its ranks of soldiers and sometimes forcing them to become sex slaves.

Kony is wanted by the International Criminal Court under a 2005 warrant for crimes against humanity in his native Uganda.

Obama's announcement came in low-key fashion -- a letter to the leader of the House, Speaker John Boehner, in which he said the deployment "furthers U.S. national security interests and foreign policy and will be a significant contribution toward counter-LRA efforts in central Africa."
The deployment drew support from Sen. James Inhofe, a Republican who has visited the region.

Re: Here We Go Again: Obama Sends U.S. Troops to Central Africa to Aid Campaign Against Rebel Group

Quote:

Originally Posted by White Wolf

WASHINGTON -- President Obama is sending about 100 U.S. troops to central Africa to help local forces battle the Lord's Resistance Army, a rebel group that the administration says has waged a campaign of murder, rape and kidnapping for more than two decades.

Re: Here We Go Again: Obama Sends U.S. Troops to Central Africa to Aid Campaign Against Rebel Group

Quote:

Originally Posted by White Wolf

WASHINGTON -- President Obama is sending about 100 U.S. troops to central Africa to help local forces battle the Lord's Resistance Army, a rebel group that the administration says has waged a campaign of murder, rape and kidnapping for more than two decades.

Obama said Friday the troops will act as advisers in efforts to hunt down rebel leader Joseph Kony but will not engage in combat except in self-defense, according to a letter to Congress that was obtained by Fox News.

The White House says the first troops arrived in Uganda on Wednesday. Ultimately, they will also deploy in South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Congo.

A senior administration official downplayed the notion that the armed troops could be drawn into a hostile, combat situation, saying the move was sparked by Congress passing a law year urging the administration to do something to crack down on the Lord's Resistance Army.

Long considered one of Africa's most brutal rebel groups, the Lord's Resistance Army began its attacks in Uganda more than 20 years ago but has been pushing westward.

The administration and human rights groups say its atrocities have left thousands dead and have put as many as 300,000 Africans to flight. They have charged the group with seizing children to bolster its ranks of soldiers and sometimes forcing them to become sex slaves.

Kony is wanted by the International Criminal Court under a 2005 warrant for crimes against humanity in his native Uganda.

Obama's announcement came in low-key fashion -- a letter to the leader of the House, Speaker John Boehner, in which he said the deployment "furthers U.S. national security interests and foreign policy and will be a significant contribution toward counter-LRA efforts in central Africa."
The deployment drew support from Sen. James Inhofe, a Republican who has visited the region.

Re: Here We Go Again: Obama Sends U.S. Troops to Central Africa to Aid Campaign Against Rebel Group

a rebel group that the administration says has waged a campaign of murder, rape and kidnapping for more than two decades.

Why now? Why not two decades ago when the most people could have been saved? Why not at the start of Obamas term then? Why now?

I have asked the same question about Gaddafi - we lived with him for 40+ years, why NOW are we supporting his ousting?

Highly trained US "consultants" are going to Africa at the cost to tax payers of what? $100,000 a year? AT LEAST! That's a 10 million dollar commitment Obama is making at the VERY LEAST! And all this country can talk about is how broke it is and how to create jobs!

Why not give a 10 million dollar tax break to US citizens so they can use the money as they see fit?

Re: Here We Go Again: Obama Sends U.S. Troops to Central Africa to Aid Campaign Against Rebel Group

Okay I'm gonna come from the other side of this.
This doesn't necessarily mean it's going to turn into some big conflict.
Didn't some small private outfit out of South Africa go after and destroy the Rhodesian rebels or it may have been Sierra Leone.
Maybe we could hire that outfit or make it a U.N. joint effort.
But I do feel sorry for those poor people. After all they're not American ni66ers and they are in their own Countries.
So if we can help then avoid atrocities then why not.
Pull up some images of the victims of Sierra Leone.

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Re: Here We Go Again: Obama Sends U.S. Troops to Central Africa to Aid Campaign Against Rebel Group

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoJoe

Okay I'm gonna come from the other side of this.
This doesn't necessarily mean it's going to turn into some big conflict.
Didn't some small private outfit out of South Africa go after and destroy the Rhodesian rebels or it may have been Sierra Leone.
Maybe we could hire that outfit or make it a U.N. joint effort.
But I do feel sorry for those poor people. After all they're not American ni66ers and they are in their own Countries.
So if we can help then avoid atrocities then why not.
Pull up some images of the victims of Sierra Leone.

Fair enough... if we were there to actually "help". Although, Blacks should help Blacks, not White help Blacks. We aren't there to help though. We are going there to make sure that someone secures resources in a certain spot, or that someone doesn't lose their office, or that someone's agenda, probably from the Middle East, , gets satisfied.

Ironically, the Lord's Resistance Army is a grassroots freedom fighter group who feel oppressed by their government. Gee, didn't we just overthrow Ghadaffi and help the rebels who had the same agenda?